LEAGUE CITY, Texas, USA — Thirteen bulletproof vests no longer used by officers of the League City Police Department will soon be bound for Africa.

The city council Tuesday approved donating the equipment to the Ghana Police Service. “They don’t have any vests,” Assistant Chief of Police Chris Reed said. “The only ones they get is through donations.”

Reed said that although the vests are still usable, the city replaced them because the manufacturer’s warranty was good for only five years. New ones cost between $800 and $1,000.

“We give them (League City Police officers) new ones every five years,” he said. “As a city, we choose to provide officers with guaranteed vests.”

This is the second time the police department has sent safety gear overseas. Another batch of 25 vests was shipped in March 2002 to Ghana and law enforcement agencies in Mexico have also received assistance.

“It’s better than nothing,” Reed said. “Those guys there (in Ghana) have nothing. They’ll feel a lot more safe and their families are going to know they have some level of protection.”

Shipping will be handled at no cost to League City by a nonprofit organization. “If it helps save the life of at least one brother officer, then it is worth any trouble we have to go through,” Reed said.